Avijit Das Patnaik has angered Singaporeans again. The former Vice-President of DBS was flamed in 2018 for posting an image of the Singapore flag ripped to reveal an Indian one underneath.
Many found his post disrespectful as he was a SPR and demanded for him to be punished. He eventually left Singapore after he was sacked.
However, he remains very concerned about our country. Yesterday, Facebook user Avijit Das Patnaik criticised Singapore for splitting COVID-19 statistics into locals and foreign workers. He alleged that it is racist and xenophobic to present it in this manner.
“Now even their headlines and investigation parameters are differentiating between locals and foreigners; and reduced to robots, everyone is forced to be fine with this xenophobia.”
He warned foreigners in Singapore to be careful and told those who are thinking of moving here to talk to him first.
“If you are a foreigner there [Singapore], and these days you will be made aware ten times a day that you are a foreigner; just stay more careful… your entire job, livelihood, bank balance can get wiped off a day.”
Sounds familiar.
Firstly, Singapore’s daily COVID-19 report comprises a total number which includes both local and foreign cases. It then specifies the number of local and foreign cases respectively. There is basis to present it as such because the situation in the local community and that of foreign worker dormitories, for example, is different. Throwing out a total number without these details does not serve to inform the public sufficiently or justify the circuit breaker measures that are in place today.
Secondly, Patnaik should not compare the different ways in which Singapore and India report data. The COVID-19 situation is different in both countries and any country can employ whichever method that allows it to convey information appropriately and effectively.
Thirdly, it just sounds like a grudge. He even commented that we are “losers” who “troll foreigners” as an excuse for our own failures. Of course, we do not do that but it is understandable for him to think this way because he was the one who lost his job.
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